I know I am stretching the theme a bit here, but I recently had an amazing pizza, ok I can't believe I am saying this, an amazing FROZEN pizza from Trader Joes.

This pizza was not only easy to procure, but it also had less work going on inside of it as I noticed that there was no yeast or any other levening agent in there at all. I have read about this type of quickee crust before on the forum, and had dismissed the idea, but now that I have tried it I think I want to do it from scratch.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Trader Joes Tarte Alsace. I found it interesting that they don't call it a pizza anywhere on the packaging, but it is definitely the best frozen pizza I have ever had, and all that with no yeast.

I know I am stretching the theme a bit here, but I recently had an amazing pizza, ok I can't believe I am saying this, an amazing FROZEN pizza from Trader Joes.

This pizza was not only easy to procure, but it also had less work going on inside of it as I noticed that there was no yeast or any other levening agent in there at all. I have read about this type of quickee crust before on the forum, and had dismissed the idea, but now that I have tried it I think I want to do it from scratch.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Trader Joes Tarte Alsace. I found it interesting that they don't call it a pizza anywhere on the packaging, but it is definitely the best frozen pizza I have ever had, and all that with no yeast.

French pizza-

Just when I thought I had no reason to return to TJ's, I'll try this one for sure. I have made the pissaladiere recipe from Cook's Illustrated (which I liked) but then I had to punch myself for trying to use a French accent so haven't made it again.

A dear friend of min that grew up in the alsacian region is the person who turned me on to this product. She says it is exactly like she remembered it from growing up, and that they were very very popular, even made by her school for lunch.

From Wikipedia:Tarte flambée is an Alsatian dish composed of thin bread dough rolled out in a circle or a rectangle, which is covered by crème fraîche, onions and bacon. It is one of the most famous gastronomical specialties of the region.Depending on the area of the region, this dish can be called in Alsatian flammekueche, in German Flammkuchen, or, in French, tarte flambée.Legend says that the creators of this dish were those Alsatian farmers who used to bake bread once a week. A tarte flambée would be used to test the heat of their wood-fired ovens. At the peak of its temperature, the oven would also have the ideal conditions in which to bake a tarte flambée. The embers would be pushed aside to make room for the tarte in the middle of the oven, and the intense heat would be able to bake it in 1 or 2 minutes. The crust that forms the border of the tarte flambée would be nearly burned by the flames.The name itself comes from this method of baking, the English translation of the original Alsatian name meaning "baked in the flames".In some parts of Alsace the crème fraîche may be replaced by fromage blanc (similar to Quark), or by a mixture of half fromage blanc and half crème fraîche. The result resembles a thin pizza.

We're near the end of the month so here is a list of ideas in case anyone was running low. I'm saving my favorite to do this weekend.

Less baked: don't bake the pizza at allLess evolved: amoebae shapedLess aerodynamic: concave square shapedLess motion: stop sign shaped, red sauce visible, "STOP" printed with cheeseLess pizza: baked with a slice already cut out of itLess pizza 2: baked as a single sliceLess appealing: topped with Clamato sauce, limburger cheese, escargotLess edible: cut out a corrugated cardboard circle, soak it in yeast water for an hour, drain liquid, ferment, top, and bakeLess edible 2: mix, knead, ferment, shape, and top pizza while ingredients are directly on the floorLess less: make an enormous pizzaLess eligible: bake a cake that's frosted to look like a pizzaLess safe: top with raw spoiled meatLess flat: stand all the pepperoni on their edges and bake the pizza on a severely warped panLess bumpy: use sandpaper to sand the crust rim until smoothLess sensible: throw the pizza away after bakingLess thrifty: use the most expensive ingredients available, e.g. caviarLess permeable: coat with Thompson's WaterSeal after bakingLess natural: silicone rim implantsLess visible: mix spinach and green food dye into dough (camouflage effect); top with green sauce, sparse cheese, and green bell peppers; and take a picture against a foliage backdropLess shaping: top dough ball with sauce, cheese, and some other toppings, do not shape into skinLess repeatable: don't measure anythingLess equation: small pizza, two breadsticks (equal sign), large pizzaLess than: shape pizza like a less than signLess domestic: use only imported ingredients and slap a "Made in China" label on itLess sober: use straight beer for the liquid in the doughLess repetition: find a wheel of cheese that can cover the whole pizza with a single slice, same for other toppingsLess work: get someone else to do itLess destructible: lay rebar (chicken wire) in between layers of doughLess relevant: bake a bean casserole

Prior to reading this post, I contacted ConAgra Mills and requested the product specification for their Harvest Bread flour distributed through Costco. I also asked which of their Bakery flours was most similar to Harvest.

She said Harvest is most similar to ConAgra H&R (hotel & restaurant) which has a protein level of 11.0 +/- 2.0%.

However, given the wide range of allowable protein in H&R (9.0% - 13%), it's possible that Harvest could be closer to Minnesota Girl (11.8 +/-.3%).

I'm going to buy a bag and see how it works for me. In any event, 50 lbs. of flour will keep a sourdough culture alive for quite a while, even if its pizza dough making properties are less than stellar.

I know I am stretching the theme a bit here, but I recently had an amazing pizza, ok I can't believe I am saying this, an amazing FROZEN pizza from Trader Joes.

This pizza was not only easy to procure, but it also had less work going on inside of it as I noticed that there was no yeast or any other levening agent in there at all. I have read about this type of quickee crust before on the forum, and had dismissed the idea, but now that I have tried it I think I want to do it from scratch.

Do yourself a favor and check out the Trader Joes Tarte Alsace. I found it interesting that they don't call it a pizza anywhere on the packaging, but it is definitely the best frozen pizza I have ever had, and all that with no yeast.

Scott,

I had one of these for lunch today. Not pizza, but not bad. In fact, I really enjoyed it. Thanks for posting about this.

We're near the end of the month so here is a list of ideas in case anyone was running low. I'm saving my favorite to do this weekend.

Less baked: don't bake the pizza at allLess evolved: amoebae shapedLess aerodynamic: concave square shapedLess motion: stop sign shaped, red sauce visible, "STOP" printed with cheeseLess pizza: baked with a slice already cut out of itLess pizza 2: baked as a single sliceLess appealing: topped with Clamato sauce, limburger cheese, escargotLess edible: cut out a corrugated cardboard circle, soak it in yeast water for an hour, drain liquid, ferment, top, and bakeLess edible 2: mix, knead, ferment, shape, and top pizza while ingredients are directly on the floorLess less: make an enormous pizzaLess eligible: bake a cake that's frosted to look like a pizzaLess safe: top with raw spoiled meatLess flat: stand all the pepperoni on their edges and bake the pizza on a severely warped panLess bumpy: use sandpaper to sand the crust rim until smoothLess sensible: throw the pizza away after bakingLess thrifty: use the most expensive ingredients available, e.g. caviarLess permeable: coat with Thompson's WaterSeal after bakingLess natural: silicone rim implantsLess visible: mix spinach and green food dye into dough (camouflage effect); top with green sauce, sparse cheese, and green bell peppers; and take a picture against a foliage backdropLess shaping: top dough ball with sauce, cheese, and some other toppings, do not shape into skinLess repeatable: don't measure anythingLess equation: small pizza, two breadsticks (equal sign), large pizzaLess than: shape pizza like a less than signLess domestic: use only imported ingredients and slap a "Made in China" label on itLess sober: use straight beer for the liquid in the doughLess repetition: find a wheel of cheese that can cover the whole pizza with a single slice, same for other toppingsLess work: get someone else to do itLess destructible: lay rebar (chicken wire) in between layers of doughLess relevant: bake a bean casserole